Raw Prayers: Praying Through Our SinSample

FORGIVE ME

Have you ever considered the difference between saying “I’m sorry” and “Forgive me”? The first only communicates that you have sorrow for what you have done. But the words “forgive me” are asking the person you have offended to do something for you. You are asking them not to hold your wrong against you. When you say, “I’m sorry,” it’s often returned with the words, “It’s okay.” But when you say, “Will you forgive me?”, if the person is willing, you’ll hear the words that bring far more comfort, “Yes, I forgive you.”

But only if the person is willing. Our offenses toward God are far greater than those against any person. How can we know that He will forgive? As you have asked forgiveness from others, you may have wondered if they will be compassionate. Will they be merciful? With God, we can know what His answer will be. We know how He will respond because we know the qualities of His character.

As we read the words of David in Psalm 51 and in other Psalms, we see that the king was confident that, if he asked, forgiveness would be granted. Why? Because David knew that God’s love is unchanging and His mercy abundant (Verse 1). When we ask God for forgiveness, we do not have to wonder what His response will be. We do not have to wonder if He’ll be in a good mood or if we have pushed Him to His limit. He is always slow to anger and compassionate with those who fear Him.

And when God forgives us, what exactly do we receive? In Psalm 103, we have a wonderful example of what God does when He forgives us. His forgiveness is complete as He “forgives all our iniquity” (verse 3). His forgiveness means He is no longer angry with us (verse 9). His forgiveness means He does not “repay us according to our iniquities” (verse 10.) His forgiveness means that our offenses are removed far, far, far away from us (verse 12). When you ask God to forgive you, you are asking God to no longer hold your sins against you. And when you sincerely ask, you can know His response. You can be as confident as King David was because your forgiveness rests solely in the unwavering character of God.

Ask Yourself:

-Which phrase do I use most - “I’m sorry” or “Forgive me”?

-What have I asked God’s forgiveness for but still wonder if He has forgiven me?

-What do I need to ask God’s forgiveness for?

Pause to pray through your guilt: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.” Please forgive me for _______________. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for removing your anger from me. Thank you for not dealing with me according to my sins. Thank you for removing them far, far away from me. I love you... Amen.

Take a Next Step: Make a list of things you have already asked God’s forgiveness for. Then say out loud, “God has removed His anger from me. God has removed these transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west.” Then shred the paper into pieces.